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Hi there! Thanks for stopping by.

I write fantasy for tweens and teens. I blog about books and writing and occasionally travel and homeschooling.

My world of Aluvia series is with Curiosity Quills Press, and is an upper-middle grade fantasy, well-suited for ages 11-14, though all ages can enjoy it. FAIRY KEEPER, MER-CHARMER and DRAGON REDEEMER each stand-alone but are best read as a series. My fourth book will be releasing with Blaze Publishing this summer, called THE WORST VILLAIN EVER.

This is a family-friendly site. Note: There are some spoilers in a few of my book reviews, primarily the ones done for my grad school classes. I do warn readers with a big, "SPOILER!" announcement on the review.

Welcome! I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Finding Time to Write

I was at a local SCBWI meeting the other day, which was a fabulous meeting. One of the speakers was Kristi Holl, who spoke about organization and finding time for writing. Kristi knows what she's talking about-- she's the author of 35 books! She's also raised four kids while struggling with a chronic pain condition.

According to Kristi, she succeeded in large part by being flexible. She worked her writing into her life as a mom instead of demanding that her young children work around her schedule. This is so much more feasible for me than spending hours in my office writing each day. That just isn't going to happen--I chose to stay home with them to BE with them. But that doesn't mean I can't keep writing! Kristi finished manuscripts while waiting in the stands during the kids' athletic practices. She finished manuscripts while in the waiting room of her daughter's dentist. She made the time to write. Her book, Writer's First Aid, covers many of the practical techniques and tips she used to get so much accomplished while still being present for her kids. She didn't just shut the door and say, "Come back in four hours." She lived everyday life with them and still wrote. What an inspiration! She also gave us an awesome handout with a list of books about time management and organization. You can find a similar list on her blog here.

Thanks, Kristi, for being such an encouragement!

I've not been doing very well with making time for writing, much less being flexible in when and where I write, so this is a good goal for me. I'm going to set a timer for 20-30 minutes each day and write for that period of time, even if it's in between dinner and bathtime for the kids or while I am waiting for them during swim lessons. (Maybe this can be a great excuse to finally buy a laptop so I can take my writing everywhere with me! :) )

If you are struggling with making time to write, perhaps you'd like to set a small goal to help you write more often. I'd also love to hear what works for you, if making time to write each day is not an area you struggle with!

Even though I have a laptop I can take everywhere, sometimes it can be too distracting for me. So, I always carry around a notebook that I write in whenever I have free time. My writing goals are two chapters each week. On Fridays, I send those two chapters to my beta readers and then start again. :) I usually give myself the weekends off, so I'm not completely burned out.